


A Glimmer of Starlight

by Aartequ



Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: Although its kinda unhealthy, Corrupted! Viren, Gen, Semi-sequel to Season 2, Switching Perspectives, budding friendship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-10
Updated: 2019-09-14
Packaged: 2020-10-13 21:31:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,671
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20589431
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aartequ/pseuds/Aartequ
Summary: Devoid of his new-found powers, and now feeling the full effects of a lifetime of poor decisions on his damaged body, Viren lies broken at the mercy of Katolian law, and in wait of the final decision that will ultimately end his life.How fortunate for him, then, that his newfound “friend” has other plans for him.





	1. Chapter 1: Alone with Your Thoughts

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome, one and all, to my very first published Fanfiction. Nice to meet you all. Very happy to be here. Please, hold the applause! (I really hope this comes across as sarcasm)
> 
> To be serious though, welcome to my first try to write something even vaguely coherent and, if you are interested, I hope you enjoy coming along with me on this wild ride! This is meant to act as a sort of teaser for the rest of the story while I work on the next parts (although I'm already a decent way through the second chapter already)
> 
> For anyone that's interested in this story, I plan on updating this semi-regularly (maybe once every few days), although I will mention it if this changes for any reason (and will hopefully update with a more concrete schedule). Anyway, I have a few plans for where I want this to go, and what I want to happen. So I'm hoping this'll be a fun little adventure.
> 
> Anyway, now that all that guff's over and done with, ON WITH THE SHOW!!!

For any being that has lived for a sufficient enough period, the progression of time felt less and less like the ebb and flow of an orderly stream, and more akin to a poorly-cast illusion from the basest of mage; memories mixed together naturally over time, details were lost and faces were forgotten until, inevitably, the few remaining truths that still took refuge within were claimed by the icy grip of time. Time and progress lost all meaning far quicker than most would think; trapped alone, just under the mirror's surface, Aaravos found himself consumed by the monotony of his own existence. It was far too easy to slip away and lose oneself. In the memories. In the few bare glimpses he still possessed of the time Before, when magic had been split between just the six sources and Humanity had existed alongside the Xadians in perfect harmony. Humanity and the Xadians together as one. Humanity and Xadians. Humanity. Xadians? Humanity...

Ah, yes. Humanity. 

His memories had managed to consume him yet again, and in a shorter time than he usually experienced. But it was of no consequence; he had found the trigger that he had needed to break free from their hold. And what a trigger it was. Because, for the first time in his (admittedly stunted) memory, he had found a purpose, and a newfound path towards his ultimate goal. One that ran aligned with Humanity themselves.

Or rather, should he say, a specific member of Humanity.

But first, he supposed, he should at least attempt to entertain his new guest. He had been absent for long enough; he could feel that his resolve was steadily waning in isolation and, he supposed, he could sympathise with his plight a great deal more than most.

After all, being imprisoned was something he held a great deal of experience in.


	2. Alone in the Darkness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Viren finds himself with nothing but time, and laments on his current "situation".

Becoming the High Mage of Katolis had been a duty that Viren had never allowed himself to take lightly. From the very earliest moments of his living memory, every spell he had conjured, every decision he had made, and every life he had taken had been done with the well-being of his birthplace in the forefront of his mind, and with one goal to aid in driving him forward; to leave Katolis stronger, wealthier, and more magically-enriched than the corrupt sovereign state it had once been in its shadowed past.

Becoming High Mage was simply the natural progression of his career; his “activities”, if they could be called that, had remained largely the same (harvesting ingredients for spells was a time-consuming task, regardless of a dark mage's skill), but his loftier position had granted him access to arcane knowledge scarcely heard of outside of the same children's stories he had later regaled his own children with.

Becoming the King's closest adviser, however, had proved to be the turning point in what would set him on his current path.

Matters of state had suddenly taken precedence when compared to his own private research, and countless journey's to locations he would never have found even the slightest reason to frequent became as familiar to him as the Dark Magic he continued to wield.

The Dungeons that lay buried deep beneath Katolis Castle were one such location; his unofficial role as adviser had kept him well afloat of the Kingdom's most notable criminal elements. He himself, when they had been faced with criminals of considerable renown or power, had been the very person to bind them in their shackles before casting them down, to fade away forgotten by those above.

It was only now, once he was forced to share in their fate, that he began to feel a sense of remorse for condemning them to...this.

Chains that were tightened far beyond the point of reason secured both his arms and legs to the wall of his cell, his pose almost reminding him of the star-shaped fish he'd heard rumours of from fishermen at the docks. Ocean-dwelling, supposedly. Although, unlike the ocean, his cell could not have been smaller; he doubted that he would have been able to lay on the floor completely, even if he had been a few inches shorter. It was almost cupboard-like in size, obviously intended for criminals for whom comfort was considered secondary to their imprisonment, and for those who were not intended to be here for long. Temporary, but high-security accommodation, located at what he was almost positive was the lowest floor of the Dungeon, if his memory served him correctly; _A wise decision_, he admitted to himself, even if it was begrudgingly. Solitude deprived him of potential resources and, thus, an opportunity to set himself free.

For the first time in over a week, he allowed a sad smile to form across his face. “Maybe that would explain my lack of visitors”, he muttered, heard by nobody save himself.

Not that he could find it in himself to complain, of course; the consequences of what he had done, of the actions he had taken, were rather clear-cut. What he had done was, after all, tantamount to Treason, and though the solitude and persistent darkness was starting to get to him, he was certain that he would rather things remained like this than be dragged off to face execution at the chopping block.

He tensed suddenly at a loud crash, suddenly alert of the sound of footprints echoing down from the floor above._ “_It's just a door opening,” he reassured himself “and a platoon moving through the halls, perhaps”. Still, it took another minute or two of baited breaths before he could convince himself they weren't coming to get him. Yet, anyway. And again, just like all of the previous times this had happened, he felt another little piece of himself break away.

God, he'd believed himself to be stronger than this. He really had.

Power hadn't always been something that he'd been well acquainted with. His past had been buried long ago, locked away in a chest of his own creation and the key thrown away, somewhere even the powers of Dark Magic, _his magic_, would never be able to locate it. And yet, it had existed. It had happened, and no magic could aid in removing the scar it left on his psyche. He was supposed to be used to this. He was supposed to be above this, elevated beyond its reach by his own drive and ambition.

And yet he wasn't. He had allowed himself to grow complacent. He'd been desperate, just so  _close_ to reaping the fruits of his labour, that he'd been willing to try almost  _anything_ if it meant he could finally sit upon the throne he had desired for so long.

Even if it had meant trusting the enemy. The very people he'd vowed to use this power to destroy.

And hadn't that just managed to backfire spectacularly?! Whilst he was trapped down here, waiting for death, the elf was out there... well...

Well, he supposed that was where the majority of his anger at this situation came from; the fact that he didn't know where the elf (Aaravos, his mind supplemented) had gone. Of course, he knew where the elf himself would logically be. Unless his capture had caused something truly drastic to occur, the elf would still be trapped behind the mirror, unable to call for help without the creature he used to communicate. The creature that was still hiding in his left ear.

_You have betrayed me_, he had whispered, the pain of betrayal striking through his heart as real as any blade. But the creature had simply hidden itself within him, whispering sweet nothings and promises as he was dragged away to what would surely be his end, leaving him with only the words _I will stay with you._

Their previous conversation still played through his mind, repeating itself over and over in an attempt to find anything he might have missed. A hidden word, some disguised subtext behind what he had chosen to say, perhaps? Anything that could possibly tell him more about Aaravos' current plan. Because, in the time since he had been captured (somewhere between five and seven days, if the switching of the guards he had heard was anything to go by), no words had left the creature's boned pincers. Not even the smallest of movements felt throughout its body. The only evidence he even had that the blasted thing was even still there was a pressure in his inner ear that was beginning to seriously throw off his sense of balance (he was almost thankful that his restrictive shackles stopped him from having to worry about that particular issue). He was sure that the creature had remained, but Aaravos certainly hadn't.

He didn't know what had happened to the star-studded elf, but he could only imagine the worst. That a being of such power, one that seemingly needed him to escape from his own prison, hadn't yet made an attempt to free him from his current ''situation'' left him with only a few possibilities to consider, few not involving the sounds of shattering glass from the ancient mirror.

He wasn't sure if the idea worried him, or made his anger burn brighter.

But the day had been long, like all those that came before it. Sleep was hard to come by when comfort wasn't an option, but it couldn't be eluded forever. And, with nothing further to do but wait in solitude, he closed his eyes, and dreamt. Of his children, alive and well. Of better and worse times buried deep in the past, and of a mirror containing a power which rivalled the stars themselves.

* * *

It was a voice that finally woke him. Not all encompassing like it had been the first time they had spoken, but quieter, more timid, but still alarming in its intensity. And, after a silence spanning almost one full week, the creature in his ear spoke again.

“Hello, Dark Mage. How may I serve you?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly, trying to write this chapter was like trying to bleed a stone, and I'm still not completely happy with it! I guess that should teach me to try and get more sleep before trying to write in the future ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯.
> 
> I feel like I might need to mention that there'll probably just be a bit of head-canon stuff slipping in every now and then, like with the speculation of Katolis' and Viren's pasts, and Aavaros' memory lapses. Just smaller things, but they're definitely non-canon (for now) and shouldn't be taken as gospel. At least until the show proves or disproves them in the future ;)
> 
> Anyway, hopefully the next chapter will be coming a bit quicker now that I've gotten into more of a groove with this (and'll hopefully be a bit better quality)! And, as always (if you have time), please comment any criticisms you have with the story, as I do want to develop my writing skills and get better at all of this.
> 
> And also, just a little tidbit; this is officially the longest (and the only published) fanfic I have ever written! Which is kinda sad, considering how many unfinished works are staring at me accusingly from my usb, but I'm definitely willing to try and beat my score in the future if this all goes well!


End file.
